The Atlanta Falcons today announced that Dirk Koetter has been hired as the team's offensive coordinator.
Known for his expertise in the passing game, Koetter has 30 years of coaching experience, including five seasons in the NFL as he served as the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2011. This season, Koetter led an offense that saw RB Maurice Jones-Drew lead the NFL in rushing with 1,606 rushing yards and 343 carries. In five seasons in Jacksonville, Koetter coached four different players to six Pro Bowl selections, including Jones-Drew who has earned three trips to the Pro Bowl.
"I am very pleased to add Coach Koetter as our offensive coordinator," head coach Mike Smith said. "Dirk is a veteran offensive coach who will bring years of NFL experience as an offensive coordinator as well as a fresh set of ideas to our offense. He is bright, he understands the intricacies of the vertical passing game, but he also wants to be able to run the football which is very important in the NFL. I look forward to working with Dirk and have tremendous confidence that he will be a great addition to our team and our coaching staff."
Through Koetter's first four years with the Jaguars (2007-10), the team's offense ranked 13th in the NFL in total yards (338.6 per game), sixth in rushing (134.2), fifth in third-down conversions (43.0%), and fifth in average yards per rush (4.5). In his first season with the Jaguars, Koetter directed a record-breaking season as the offense set franchise records for points (411, 25.7 avg.), touchdowns (50), and touchdown passes (28).
Prior to arriving in Jacksonville, Koetter led Arizona State to four bowl games in his six seasons as head coach and finished with a 40-34 record. He also served as offensive coordinator and helped the Sun Devils average nearly 30 points per game over six seasons, and the team was ranked in the top 20 in the nation in passing offense in five of his six seasons.
Koetter molded Arizona State's all-time leading passer in Andrew Walter, its top career receiver in Derek Hagan and the top tight end in school history in Zach Miller. In 2005, ASU finished second in the nation in total offense, averaging 519.1 yards per game and third in the nation with 373.4 passing yards per game. Prior to taking over ASU, Koetter spent three seasons as head coach at Boise State University where he compiled a 26-10 mark and two consecutive bowl victories. He was a two-time Big West Coach of the Year honoree and two-time conference champion.
A native of Pocatello, Idaho, Koetter played four seasons at Idaho State (1978-81) as the team won a Division I-AA national championship. He graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned a master's degree the following year in athletic administration.
